During PAX, Joystiq held a panel titled Plot vs. Play: The Duality of Modern Game Design. On the importance of story in games, BioWare lead writer David Gaider said that with games, the player is invested in the story where as when watching a film, they are just an observer; therefore, he feels story is important. Obsidian Entertainment’s creative director, Chris Avellone, countered that he is not sure whether narrative matters too much when it comes to the gameplay experience. He said many players in the past have come to him saying their favorite moment from a game had more to do with a gameplay element attached to a storyline instead of the overall narrative. Irrational’s Ken Levine, also on the panel, said he is much more interested in environmental storytelling than the words he is going to write. It’s a rather interesting panel discussion, and you can watch it below. [image]